John Howard slams PM: says he’s ‘out of his depth’ and ‘no Bob Hawke’

Former Prime Minister John Howard has slammed Anthony Albanese, saying the Labor leader nothing like his once-staunch-rival Bob Hawke while in Perth for a Liberal event in the swing seat of Tangney on Tuesday evening.

Mr Howard was in Perth to “help” campaign with current candidates, attending an event in Applecross for the Liberal’s Tangney candidate Howard Ong.

Speaking exclusively to The West Australian before the event, Mr Howard said the current Prime Minister was nothing like his predecessors.

“I know a lot of people disagreed me when I was Prime Minister, but they never said I was out of my depth. I think Mr Albanese’s problem is that he’s way out of his depth,” he said.

“I think of him and Bob Hawke, Bob Hawke was a very good Labor — stress the adjective — prime minister.

“Although I disagreed with Bob Hawke on a lot of things, Bob Hawke was never out of his depth.”

Mr Howard said he didn’t believe Mr Albanese was “across the detail.”

“He didn’t know the Chinese ships were sailing around Australia. Did he know about this Indonesian caper of the Russians? Probably not, I’d like to know,” he said.

“He just doesn’t seem across the detail. It’s too hard a job.

“My message is that if you think he’s out of his depth, which I think he is, you need a change of government, and the only way to get a change of government is, of course, to vote Liberal. Don’t muck around in the middle with these Teals.”

Speaking to a packed room of Liberal candidates and supporters on Tuesday night, Mr Howard doubled down on his criticisms.

“The problem with our current Prime Minister is he never knows something until it’s in the media or it’s picked up by the pilot of a commercial airline,” he said.

If Mr Albanese wins the election on May 3, he would become the first Prime Minister since Mr Howard to hold power for a full term and be re-elected.

Mr Howard led the nation from 1996 to 2007, making him the second longest-serving PM in Australian history, before being defeated by Kevin Rudd.

The comments came as Mr Albanese said he was hoping to emulate Mr Howard in winning re-election.

“I’m trying to climb the mountain here. I’m trying to be the first prime minister since John Howard in 2004 (to be re-elected). It’s been 21 years, we’ve had a revolving door,” he said.

“I don’t think, objectively, that’s in the interests of Australia.”

Mr Albanese has also signalled his intent to run in a third election if he was successful this poll.

“I’m not getting ahead of myself — I’m in a ballot on the third of May, and I’m determined to win. And I will serve out a full term — I’m determined to do that. Because I think there has been too much chopping and changing,” he said.

Mr Howard also took a crack at the current reported feud between Mr Albanese and his Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek during his speech.

“If you see an election campaign, you have to think in terms of trust, who do you really trust to run the country in sensible hands over the next three years?” Mr Howard said.

“Is it Anthony Albanese? Is it Peter Dutton? According to Anthony Albanese, it’s certainly not Tanya Plibersek.”

While speaking next to Mr Ong to The West, Mr Howard shared his fondness for campaigning in Western Australia.

“We’ve got good candidates. I like campaigning in the West, I remember the election in 2007 which we lost in the rest of the country, but not here,” he said.

“I remember leaving the Cannington shopping centre, going back east, and (thought) gee, we’re coming back. Then I went up to the Central Coast of New South Wales, which is a bit of a reality check.”